Fluid-actuated controlling device.



G. M. RICHARDS. FLUID ACTUATED CONTRGLLING DUNGE- Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET l APPLEQA'TION FILED JAN. 8.1916.

ms nnlns rsvsls m. Pmnmundm urAsunaGrm. n c

G. M RECHARDS.

Patented Dec. 3, 1918. 2 SHEETS-SHET 2 M li/ 4422? z a,.// 7 w A i z z dif z W v an: nuns 0a.. rnmuuw. lnsmucwn, a. c.

GEORGE M. arene'anscr rmLAnELPHIa, PENNSYLVANIA.

'rnnrn-eoruernn CONTROLLING DEVICE.

1,286,781. sp eafiae To all whom it mayconcern: V

- Be itknown that I, GEORGE M. RICHARDS, a. citizen of the United' States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of; Philadelph a and State of Pennsylvania have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fluid-Actuated Controlling .evi'ces', of'which' the following is a specification. '1 c This invention relates to' controlling devices of the kind whichare actuated fluid pressure and which are-employed in connection with the regulation of fluid-pressure.

. The objects of'th'e invention; are toprovide a device of this kind'of improved'and simplified. construction which can be used in connection with other apparatusysuch, for example, as governors, controllers, or unloaders of air compressors,xto elicit the regulation of the fluid pressure, and which is adjustable to vary tlie' "imaximum vand minimum pressure of the'efluid. l.S-; -deS1I'B( Il'; also to improve the construction ofrdevices of this kind in therespects hereinafter specifi'edf H v.Inthe accompanying drawings: s

Figure. 1 is an elevatioml; partly insection, of. an'unloade'r having-a controlling device embodying the invention. i' conne'cted therewith.

.Fig. 2 is an elevatiomaon" enlarged scale, of acontrolling device embodying .the

invention.

Fig. 3 is. a central sectionaltelevation thereof on. line 33,Fig;r2. l

Fig. 4 is asimilar fragmentary elevation thereof showing some of the partsof the device in different positions;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof on line 55, Fig; 2.

I The controlling device isrpriinarily intended for us'e 1n connection Withair compressors for maintaining the "pressurejin the receiver between desired maxlm'um and minimum pressures, and the word air is hereinafter'used' to designate the fluid'of which the pressure isto' be regulated," and it is not intended thereby'to 'limit'the use of the device to air compressorsor pumps. The

device is used in connection with one or "more regulating or load "changingmeans effecting the supply of compressed fa1r to the receiver, such as an unloader which is adapted to interrupt the 'supply pf air to the receiver, or "an electric controller for regulating the speed or stopping thedrlvon cf Letters Patent.

Application filed January 8, 191 6. Seria1 No. 70,98 1

Patented Dec. 3, 1918.

ingmotorin the case of electrically operated compressors, or ;a steam governor in f the case of a steam driven compressor, orany other means by'iwhich the supply of airto the receiver flhe'controlling device may, for example, asis shown in Fig. 1, be used in connection withpthe unloadershown in my copending application I 21,730, filed September23, 1912.

he housing orcasing of the controlling device-maybe of any suitable construction,

that shown in the drawingsconsistingof a part A, the .upper end a of which is adapted to be connected: with a receiver or container (not shown) for the compressedair, and *-a cylinder A which is secured to-theupper part A of thehousing. Air.v from the re- ,ceiver, after entering, the housing at a, passes through-a chamber a containing filtering material I which prevents the pas sage of dirt or grit, which may be contained in the compressed air, to "thefrne'chanism of the controlling device, and enters the cylinr 1 t o h ssag s v t e p'a ee be ng shown in the construction illustrated.-

may be interrupted or varied.

jl he air may be discharged from the cylinr [der through a passage a jformed in thepart Aof thehouslng and terminating atone end in-a nipple a which may be connected with suitable regulating means'actuated by compressed air for interrupting or reducing the supply of compressed air to the :Iiceiver, such as an unloader B, Fig,.j1. -The unloader B is of the discharge or pressure type as shown in my application 721,730, above referred to,

and has the usual unloadimg valve (not shown) which, when the compressor is to be unloaded", is opened'by meansofapiston barranged in a cylinder, .the discharge" which is connected with passage a of the controlling device. The piston is normally held in a. position near the head of the cylinder bywmeans of :a spr ng 6. When compressed airis'a'dmitte'd to the cylinder 6, th against the action of the spring and presses 'a' piston rod '6 against 'afslidablerod b which opens the unloader, valve. -Other means'may be employed for actuating the unloader, and such actuatingmeansgmay be used in connection with a. controller, or other means for interrupting the supply ofcompressed ail: to the receiver. I The inlet end of the passage a terminates in a valve seat a withrwhichfa-valve cogovernor, electric e plston isz'moved lower. end

operates for automatically controllingcthe,

flow of compressed air through thepassage a The air passages in th'ehou'sing of the controlling device maybe arranged in any other suitable manner.

The valve for controlling theflow of air in the passage a may be actuated by any suitable motor affected air in the receiver, a piston C being employed for this purposein the construction shown, which is arranged in the'cylinder or housing A." The cylinderA v 'nd isadapted to receive a piston C, which extends out of the open end of the cylinder. The outward movement of the piston "by the pressure ofthe air is opposed by an adjustable resistance device, which may be ofany suitable construction, that shown erably provided consisting of two springs D connected at one end thereof with a yoke d which-is prefwith a knife edge a? hearing on a flange c of the piston. The other ends of the springs are; connected by ten- 0 move the'piston "0 tion of the springs 1 tion 6 Which is to arms (I on thehousing Lvalve E hasan=enlargedstem or body por confined, within the hollow piston, and a reduced part-e forming an annular shoulder a with the body portion o the valve.- The reduced part 6 extends through' a hole in the end "of the piston which, being smaller than the inner bore of into the hollow piston,

thehollow piston, forms an annular shoulder 6' in the piston. The valve E fits loosely which enables the valve to center itself on the seat "a independently of the piston. The valve is also der c of the piston adapted to move endwise relatively tothe piston and the "extent of this lost motion is preferably adjustable. For this purpose an adjusting 's"rew or plug F is secured in the hollow piston and is adjustable toward or from the ishoulder e' of the piston; The movement ofthe valve relatively to the piston is limited in one direction by the shouland in theother direction by -the end of the adjusting screw. -?When the piston moves in a directionfto :place the valve on its seat, the valve rests on the end'of the'fadjustingscrew, and when the piston moves-in the opposite direction,

' the shoulders 6 0f the piston engage the shoulder e of the valve and withdraw the valve from its seat. a

tween. the by the pressure of- .is open at its valve-which is mounted on Y groove mum desired pressure,- f valveE supportedv end. of the adjusting screw when the pressurein the receiver ztalls f represents a lock or jamb nut-adapted to be screwedagainst the end of the piston for holding the adjusting screw in the position in which: it is set. The lock nut engaging the/end of the, piston. i'orms with the piston a tight joint to-prevent the escape of air bethreads of the adjusting screw and the piston, and the escape of air between the. threads of the adjusting screw and the lock nut is preventedby means of a screw cap or bonnet 7 which isse'cured on the lock nut and makes a tightijoint therewith so thattheescape of air at either side of the lock nut isprevented.

Itis nec-essaryto provide in t-he passage a a bleed'er port or other means for permitting air to escape from the passage a when the valve '15 is -s'eated,'so that the pressure in "the passage a? willbe reduced. For this purpose a groove v about the nipple 'a and a hole '9 connects the groove with the passage a The peripheral portion of: the nipple is-then slightly flat- G is formed peripherally tened at one "or more parts thereof, for instance by filing a small fiat facethereon, as indicated at g on :an exaggerated s ale, and '3. band g w is secured about the nipple, covering the groove G. The air will then pass out of the passage a through the hole '9, the G and through the flattened portion g of the periphery. Bymeans of this con. :struction the size of the loleeder port can be controlled verypreciselyby the'extent to' which the periphery tened at :9, so that the port can'be made very small if desired. J 4

pressure-v in the receiver is below the maxithe piston ear-1a the hereby. are moved by the springs D i'nto'position to seat the valve and prevent the discharge of compressed air throughtlie passage a As the pressure in the receiver increases, the piston C is moved outwardly with regard to the cylinder .13 and the valve E is held against its' seat 'bv the difi'erence in pressure'in the cylinder B and in the passage a When the-pressure in the receiver reachesffie maximum for device is set, the shoulder e of. the-piston C will engage theshoulder e of the valve E and withdraw the valve from the seat a The compressed air thenenters the passage of the nipple flat I In the operation of the device,- when the I which the i device of an unloadengovernor or theli'ke to interrupt or. decrease I I pressed air to the receiver.

. Thevalve then drops by gravity. on the lower position relatively quentlyoccupies a to the piston than it did :at the time itwas. withdrawn from the seat. Consequently below. the maximum and the piston G is again movediupwardly, the valve E- will not be the supply of comthe maximum.

seated until thepiston has moved inwardly a distance equal to -the lost motion between the .valve and the piston, so that the supply of air to the receiveris not begun untilafter the pressure has dropped somewhat below ,By regulating the position of the adjusting screw the difl'erence between the receiver pressure necessary to unseat the valve E and the pressure at Whiclrthe valve is again seated can be regulated as desired,

sothatthe controlling device is adaptable to fluid compressors working under a variety of difl'erent conditions. When the' valvejE is" seated, the compressed air inthe passage a passes out through'the bleeder passagein the nippleat', thus permitting thefpiston'b of the actuating device of the unloader or ,governor to return to. its initial position, so that the' isupply of an: to the, receiver is remotor, said valve when open normally-co piston.

cupying a position as far from said passage as is permitted by the relative movement between said valve and motor, and adjustable means for limiting the movement of said valve relatively to said motor for regulating the operation of said device.

2. In a controlling device for an unloader, governor or the like apparatus, the combination of a housing connected to a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, a discharge passage for the fluid,

.a motor in said housing afl'ected by changes in fluid pressure, a valve controlling said discharge passage, a between said valve and said motor to cause the motor to actuate said valve, said valve being held at one end of said lost motion connection whensaid valve is being closed, and at the other end of said lost motion connection when the valve is being opened, and means for adjusting the relative movement between said valverand said motor to regulate the operation of said device.

3. In a controlling device for an unloader, governor or the like, the combination of a housing connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, a discharge passage for the fluid, a motor in said housing aflected by changes in fluid pressure and arranged below said passage, a valve mounted on said motor below said passage and movable vertically relatively to said motor, said valve being held by gravity in its lowest position relatively to said motor before said valve closes said passage and lost motion connection Lbe n h df v p e ure n s upp Position tion of a casing connected with thesupply pf'fluidfuhder" pressure and having "a ,dis- .'charge passage for the fluid connected with said apparatus, a cylinder,a piston in said itioniby the' fluid, means for yieldingly op- "posin'g themovementof the piston by the fluid, a valve carried by said'piston and aclllldflf adapted to be moved in one directuated when the piston is'moved by the com- ,pfressedfluidito open" said discharge passage,

fandj tofclosethe discharge pa'ssage when the pistonis'moved in the reverse direction, for

.cajus'ingesaidapparatus to effect a variation in the -fluid ,pres'sure, sa d valve being movable" relatively tosaid piston and being arranged to'oc'cupy' apposition at one end "of its movement relatively] to I said piston when closing saidjdischarge' passage and tooccupy ".a-po'sition' at "thejother' end of its movement when" saiddisc'harge passage is opened, and

adjustablemeans for limiting the extent of the movement of the valve relatively to said 5. The combination of a cylinder connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, a discharge passage for the fluid, a hollow piston in said cylinder, a valve controlling said dischar e passage and having a stem arranged in said hollow piston and movable relatively to said piston, and a plug adjustable in said piston to limit the movement of said valve.

- 6. The combination of a cylinder connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be. controlled, a discharge passage for the fluid, a hollow piston arranged in said cylinder, and a valve having a part arranged within said piston and a part extending out of the piston for controlling said discharge opening, said valve being movable relatively to said piston, and an adjusting screw secured in said piston and adjustable to limit the movement of the valve relatively to said piston.

7. The combination of a cylinder connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, at discharge-passage for thefluid, a hollow piston arranged in said cylinder, and a valve having a part arranged within said piston and a part egrtending out of the piston for controlling said discharge opening, said valve being movable relatively to said piston, an adjusting screw secured in said piston and adjustable to limit the movement of the valve relatively to said piston, and a lock nut engaging said adjusting screw and said piston.

8. The combination of a cylinder connect- 7 ed witha supply offluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, a discharge passage for the fluid, a hollow piston arranged in said cylindenand a. valve having a part arranged Within said piston and alpa'rtextending out of the piston for controlling said discharge opening, said valve being movable relativelyto said piston, an adjusting screw secured in said piston and adjustable 'to limit the movement of the valve relatively to said piston, a lock nut engaging said adjusting screw and said piston, and a cap secured to said lock nut and. inclosing the end of said adjusting screw which projects out of the piston. r

9. In a controlling device, the combination of a casing adapted to. be connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to be controlled, andhaving a cylinder and a. discharge passage for. compressed fluid, a pistonactuatedhvalve' controlling said discharge passage, a tubular part in which said discharge passage is formed, and

ableeder port in said discharge passage comprising .a hole extending from the outer periphery in said tubular part to-s aid passage, a band extending around said tubular part Copies of this patent may be obtained tor five cents Washington, D. 0'."

and over said hole, and a notch between said band and said tubular part throughwhich air can escape from said hole.

1 0; In a controlling device, the combination of a casing adapted to be connected with a supply of fluid, the pressure of which is to'be controlled, and having a cylinder and a discharge passage for compressed fluid, a pistonactuated valve, controlling said discharge passage, a tubular part in which said discharge passage is formed, and

I a bleeder port in said discharge passage comprising an'annular groove formed on the periphery of said tubular Eart, ahole connecting said groove with sai passage, a band secured to said tubular partand covering said groove, and a passage between said band and said tubular part whichis formed by a de,

pression in the per phery oi said tubular part through which compressed air may escape from, said passage. o I

Witness my handthis 28th day of December, 1915,

Witnesses: I

MARION A. RICHARDS,

VHERBERT Hoslsaon,

each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

GEORGEYM. RICHARDS. 

